Possible Causes?

I haven't officially been to an ENT after my hearing test yet but I'm wondering what could have caused this. I took a few Benadryl before this started and realized they were like 5 years expired so I threw them away and started taking non-expired Benadryl. I also took Tylenol PM once. I've never had a bad reaction to either.. I'm wondering if it's possible taking expired medication could have caused this ringing? I'm also 7.5 months pregnant and under a great deal of stress.. I guess it probably doesn't matter what the cause is.. I'm just feeling pretty low right now as there was a increase in the ringing sound this evening and my anxiety is on overdrive.

 

Sometimes tinnitus starts from nowhere. No reason can be found. I think your started because of stress, it's a known cause.

 

What are the chances it is caused by something actually serious? I haven't allowed myself to google this because I know I will be thrown into panic mode.. I have read most of the time it is non-serious and that a lot of the time they cannot find the cause..

 

there is no proof anywhere that stress causes T.....there are a lot of people on here who say that their T started due to stress - but they are guessing and there is no proof that is the case....so please dont say known cause as it is not known but assumed which is different.....

 

My ENT appointment is today. I'm nervous and scared they're going to tell me there's nothing to be done. Wish me luck.

 

Natalie, the chances that your tinnitus is actually dangerous to your health is incredibly unlikely. talk to your ENT. If your tinnitus is unilateral (only in one ear, or much louder in one ear), then you should ask for an MRI. That will rule out an acoustic neuroma, which is a non-cancerous tumor growing in your middle ear. Let's be clear, this is incredibly unlikely. But to be safe, and to make yourself feel better, this is something that should be examined, IF your tinnitus is unilateral.

It is possible that your tinnitus is treatable. That you have something like Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, and that you have fluid trapped behind your ear drum. This would usually be accompanied with some loss of hearing or muffled hearing, b/c your ear drum isn't moving properly. Your ENT or audiologist will likely test your hearing and look at your ear drum and test pressure in your ear to rule these things out.

Once you've done the above two things, i.e. ruled out that your tinnitus can be cured, and rule out that your tinnitus is dangerous to your health, then you've gone a lot of the way with what doctors can do for you. From there it's mostly learning to cope with it, which helps toward habituation (I currently have a tea kettle going off on my right ear that I haven't heard in about an hour until I just listened for it while typing this to you...) If it doesn't go away, or cannot be cured (let's hope for both of these, but plan for them not happening)..., you're going to be fine either way. Frankly, it was 4 or 5 months before I started feeling better. And it's just taken off from there. You'll get there too, if need be. Let's hope you don't have to. But if you do, then know that you'll be ok. If you need anything else, let me know.

Good luck,

Eric

 

good luck. there's never nothing to be done. there's plenty that can be done. the question is, do you consider getting out and living your life and telling your tinnitus to eff off doing something or not? you can do this. millions of people have tinnitus. up to maybe 20% of all americans have some amount of tinnitus. mild, moderate, intrusive, but some amount, at any rate. very few actually suffer from it long term. habituation is a very real thing for the overwhelming majority of people with tinnitus. good luck.

eric

 

Thank you for your kind reply. At first I thought the tinnitus was only in my right ear but over the past few days I have had a hard time differentiating which side its coming from and have had loud spikes for a few minutes in my left ear that fade away. Sometimes it sounds like its coming from the middle of my head if that makes sense, so very hard to pin point. I did the audiogram hearing test already last week (the ENT wouldn't even see my until this was done) and the tech who preformed the test told me I had very mild hearing loss on my right side in the higher ranges and that it didnt appear I had any fluid behind my ears as all my other tests appeared normal but she is not the dr just the lady who administered the tests.. I also have TMJ and while my TMJ symptoms aren't bothering me lately, I made an appointment with that specalist to review my jaw alignment in case this is the cause. I will ask all these questions to the ENT when I go today. I do want to resume my life and not let this control me, of course. I have a lot to live for (namely my children). Just having a hard time adjusting to the fluctuations. I swear, sometimes I cannot hear it at all or it is very unintrusive, like it is right now (just a soft hum in the background) and then other times (like last night) it was very loud and audible over the TV which of course again spiked my anxiety. Anyway, thanks for your reply.

 

what you are going through now is entirely normal for someone who has recently begun to suffer from intrusive tinnitus. I used to lay my head on the pillow at night, completely sure that my head was actually vibrating with the sound of my tinnitus. Now I think that this is silly, and I fall asleep in under 5 minutes. (I've stopped masking at night over the last few nights. Still can hear my T, but so far, so good with falling asleep without masking) But try and tell me that 4 months ago, and I would have said that you don't know what I'm going through, etc., etc., etc. You have so much to look forward to with your kids. The data that I've seen (and we can debate different sets of data, but they are all fairly consistent) says that about 98% of all people habituate within 18 months. This probably feels like a really long time from now right now. But the good news is that habituation isn't an all-or-nothing thing. You won't feel like you do now for 18 months. Chances are really good that you'll feel a whole lot better in just a few months. I would have thought someone who told me this was completely insane a few months back. Now I know that I was wrong. You can do this. I believe it. And you should too.

Good luck,

Eric

P.S. TMJ can be a cause of tinnitus, I believe. My jaw cracks a lot and I wear a guard at night. Probably is best to see a dentist or TMJ specialist to give your jaw a look.

 

Thanks.. I've been under a specalist's care for TMJ for about 2 years now (I wear my night gaurd/splint religiously at night) but haven't had an adjustment since August because, well I've been feeling pretty good. I'm not sure how to mask my tinnitus especially as it seems more tolerable at night or when its very quiet out. When its loud its much worse so I'm not even sure where to start masking :/ Today its been pretty tolerable so far and just now out of my left ear the pitch increased then decreased fairly quickly. The fluctuations is what is causing the most anxiety now. I truly believe I can learn to live with this after reading so many of your success stories and comments here which have helped ease my anxiety by at least 50%. I'm forever grateful I found this website when I did because I was having multiple panic attacks a day and being pregnant this was not good for baby or me. I appreciate every reply, every word of encouragment from every one of you.. Today has just been an emotional day for me, on/off with the tears and feeling bad but trying not to let it get to me.